A German WW2 twin engine bomber was located and brought to the surface of the English Channel on June 17th. The plane has been identified as Dornier Do-17. Dornier Do-17 was shot down by the British Air force on August 26, 1940, during the Battle of Britain. This Bomber was one of 1,500 build by Germany in WW2, and is said to be the last one in existence. Germany employed more than 400 Dornier 17s during the Battle of Britain, and 200 of those were lost. The plane raised Monday was damaged in a battle with RAF Defiant fighters as it tried to attack airfields in Essex. Its pilot made a belly landing on Goodwin Sands in the channel off Kent, and the plane sank upside down in about 50 feet of water. The pilot and another crew member who survived the crash were taken prisoner and sent to prisoner-of-war camps in Canada. Two other crew members died. This Historical plane is to be restored and put into a display in a British museum.

"The aircraft is in remarkable condition -- considering the events surrounding its loss plus the effects of spending so many years under water," the museum's website says. "Other than marine concretion it is largely intact, the main undercarriage tires remain inflated and the propellers clearly show the damage inflicted during their final landing." This undertaking cost the Museum nearly 1 million dollars or 600,000 pounds.  The plane will go on display at the RAF Museum in north London once the two year restoration process is complete.

This article I found to be very interesting because most of the German bombers were destroyed or melted down after Germany’s loss in WW2. This particular plane had spent over 73 years under water where salt water corrosion should have destroyed what was left of the crippled aircraft, but remarkably is almost completely intact. It is also remarkable to see that this bomber can be identified. With the identification of this plane, the history of it can be dig up to go along with the soon to be restored plane. Not many WW2 planes were even recovered from the Battle of Britain, which makes this German plane all the rarer.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/11/world/europe/wwii-german-bomber-raised/index.html?hpt=wo_t4

Liberal Party Victory:
Christy Clark pulled off the impossible in last night’s provincial election despite the pollsters calling for a NDP blowout. However on Monday, polling firm Ipsos Reid released data that showed the NDP up by eight points over the Liberals. On April 19, just before the month-long election campaign got underway, the firm gave the NDP a 19-point lead. In light of the pollsters results the Liberals secured 44.4% of the vote to the NDP’s 39.5% on Tuesday night, and increased their number of seats in the legislature from 45 to 50. In the end, the Liberals won 50 of the province's 85 seats, will govern for a fourth consecutive term and finished about five points ahead of the NDP in the popular vote.

Voters vs. Voted:

In my opinion the pollsters were wrong in their estimations because 1 out of 10 people who actually voted had made their decisions in the voting booth and from the fact that only But last night, 52 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, Elections B.C. calculated, just one per cent higher than the voter turnout of 2009. The voters that could vote but chose not too were a majority of the NDP’s possible votes. Many people who had cast their vote at the ballots had voted for the Liberal party. I believe that these people voted on who had the better campaign of the two most popular parties.

Voter Polls Survey:

 I used the Vote Compass Survey produced by CBC Canada and my results favored the party I would have cast my vote for the Green party. I would have voted for the Green party because they focus on improving and maintaining the environment around us. Unfortunately many people do not realize that before we can improve our economy we need to improve the place we live in, because no one is going to be thinking about how we can improve our transportation or building a new pipeline once we need air respirators just to leave our homes. This may be an overstatement but the reality of it is that if we do not try to improve our environment there will be no need for voters to vote for a leader that cares about a secure future and a strong economy when there is no breathable air due to pollution.

         The death toll of bird flu in China has risen to 11 confirmed dead as of Friday. 43 people have been positively diagnosed with the H7N9 strain of the disease. Of the five latest victims three are from Zhejiang and two are from Shanghai. Their ages range from 53 to 86. Seventy people have had close contact with three of the patients, but none of them have exhibited abnormal symptoms says the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission. WHO released a statement that said as of late there is "No evidence of ongoing human-to-human transmission" "The Chinese government is actively investigating this event and has heightened disease surveillance". The source of the outbreak is not yet known but poultry markets are the main suspects in the investigation. 
         A new and startling case has raised the death toll to 14 as of April 15, 2013. A 4 year old boy has been positively diagnosed with the H7N9 strain of bird flu but no symptoms were observed. Scientists believe that the boy may be a carrier of the disease and is there for quarantined and is under constant surveillance. "This is very meaningful because it shows that the disease caused by this virus has a wide scope. It's not only limited to critical symptoms. There can also be slight cases, and even those who don't feel any abnormality at all. So we need to understand this disease in a rational and scientific way," Zhong said at a news briefing. As of today there is a confirmed 63 known cases of the H7N9 strain of the virus.

References

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/04/15/health-asia-bird-flu.html

Margaret Thatcher,” the Iron Lady”, passed away early Monday morning of a stroke at the age of 87. Known for her pro-business stance and unbending will, the Iron Lady governed Britain during a time of great social, economic and labor unrest. Thatcher was elected to parliament on her third try as the MP from Finchley. Two years later Prime Minister Harold Macmillan named her parliamentary secretary to the minister of pensions and insurance. When the Conservatives were back in power under Edward Heath, Thatcher was the secretary of state for education and science, the only woman in the cabinet. Heath resigned as leader after losing the 1974 election and his successor was the first woman to lead the Conservatives, Margaret Thatcher. “I am not a consensus politician. I am a conviction politician," Thatcher announced when she took over in 1975. Loved or loathed, Thatcher's personal accomplishments will remain part of world history. In a 2007 radio address marking the end of the Falklands war, making use of an ancient Latin proverb, she told her listeners, "Fortune does, in the end, favor the brave."

    Margret Thatcher was one of the most important women figures of the western world. She was very persistent in her attempts to gain a seat on parliament and was awarded a seat on her third try. Thatcher ruled Britain for three terms in times of great social, economic and labor difficulties. I believe that without her, women would have little to no power in politics around the world.

North Korea has been sending threats of restarting their nuclear program in the northeast. South Korea has released a statement saying that it believes
  North Korea may test a missile around April 10th. It is believed that a North
  Korean missile launch would be a "test" launch rather than a targeted strike.
Therefor the United States is delaying a long-planned missile test to avoid any
misperceptions by North Korea amongst mounting tensions at the border.  New reports have stated missile movements in North Korea that have triggered military counteractions by South Korea and the United States. These missiles would have a 2,500-mile range and could threaten South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Above: the estimated range of North Korea's missiles.

These missiles do not have the range capabilities to strike any American soil. If North Korea were to launch a missile at or near any USA base there would certainly be an American counter attack and North Korea would be decimated to a pile of rubble. The North does not hold the nuclear capabilities to back up their almost WW3 like threats. they also no not have the missile guidance systems needed for a precise target strike and have more of a chance of landing in the middle of the ocean than hitting its target. North Korea I believe is in way over its head on this one because and act of aggression to the U.S or her allies would spark a counter strike and eventually lead to North Korea's downfall due to the fact that the North just does not hold the weapon technology to stand any chance of coming away from a war with the U.S with miner casualties. One conspiracy theory that I found particularly interesting was that North Korea is simply trying to show its " Big Guns" and state itself as being a competitor on the world stage as a superpower. I don't believe this theory because it is a David vs. Goliath situation in the since that North Korea doesn't have the firepower to even come close to that of the United States and her allies.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?iid=article_sidebar#/video/world/2013/04/03/pkg-clancy-nkorea-yongbyon.cnn

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/07/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/07/north-korea-missile-test-south-korea-official-warns.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/12/12/north-korea-timeline.html

Nanaimo Pirates Baseball    
                                                             Wikipedia Article
 
Premier Baseball History:
In 1995 on Vancouver Island, premier baseball was started when five teams formed the Island Premier Baseball League. Now elite baseball is continuing to grow in the province of British Columbia. Now under the guidance of the Premier Baseball Association, growth has been sustained and the association now contains three divisions and 30 teams. The divisions include Junior Premier, Premier and college leagues; twelve teams make up the junior premier league, thirteen teams are in the premier league, and five teams play in the college league.
 
                                         Sr Pirates                                                    Jr Pirates
Most Improved                  Luke Skingle                                               Shawn Arabsky
Top Pitcher                       Colby Morgan                                              Aidan Goodall
Rookie of the Year            Bryan Odgers                                              TJ Mah
Top Hitter                          Brendan McCarthy                                       Zak Diewert
Best Defensive                  Ben Dunbar                                                 Zak Diewert
MVP                                  Ben Dunbar                                                 Aidan Goodall
Coaches Award                Alex Rogers                                                 Tristan Olsen
 
Playing Rules
1)PRE-GAME and GAME TIMES:
2 hours prior to game time – home team batting practice
1.5 hours prior to game time – visiting team batting practice for 30 minutes
30 minutes prior to game time – home team infield for 10 minutes
20 minutes prior to game time – visiting team infield for 10 minutes
10 minutes prior to game time – field prep and coaches/umpires meeting
Game times for all games are per published schedule but may be subject to change.  All games should be confirmed with opposition at least 72 hours prior to game time.

2) PBL plays using the MLB National League rules with the exceptions noted below.

3) D/H Rule is Optional.  No re-entry of players and no runner for catcher.

4) All league games must consist of 7 innings and must be played to completion.

5) There is a mercy rule with a 10 run differential after 4 ½ complete innings if the home team is leading, or 5 complete innings if the visitors are leading.

6) A game called by an umpire after 41/2 or 5 innings is a complete game.

7) All suspended games as defined in 4.12 MLB regulations must be played to completion starting at the point of suspension. (see MLB regulations posted on website)

8) A slide or avoid rule is in effect at all league and tournament games.  It is not optional.  The defensive player must give part of the base/plate to the runner. A defensive player who blocks the plate/base without the ball should be called for obstruction.  Any deliberate running of a defensive player will result in the ejection of the runner.  For clarification, if a defensive player is in the position of fielding a batted or thrown ball, the runner must slide into or around the plate/base.

9) Wood or composite bats are to be used for all games.

10)  When a game is cancelled or rained out, the home team must look at the visiting team’s schedule and contact them with three alternate dates.  This must take place within two days of the cancelled game and be completed by coping the league president and notifying the webmaster with the dates.  The visiting team, must reply with a game date or propose three additional dates within two days of receiving the dates from the home team.

11) Failure to complete the league schedule will result in a fine for both teams of $500.00 per game not played.  In addition, the games will be considered as losses for both teams.

References:
 
http://www.bcpbl.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=854&Itemid=990
 
http://www.bcpbl.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=71
 
http://www.ballcharts.com/teams/index.php?team=pirates

Asteroid 2012 DA14 has made its closest pass of Earth, just a scant 17,200 miles from our surface, and now astronomers are watching it recede harmlessly back into space.
 It's approach came at 2:25 p.m. ET, as scheduled, when the asteroid was zooming above the eastern Indian Ocean at a speed of almost 17,500 mph (7.8 kilometers per second). It was too dim to see with the naked eye, but observers in Australia, Asia and Europe could follow it with binoculars or small telescopes.
"It's on its way out now," said Paul Chodas, an astronomer with the Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.  
      
Above: Image of what the impact crater would span out to and the possible damage it would have caused if the asteroid would have collided with the earth.

Chodas and his colleagues monitored 2012 DA14 with high-powered optical telescopes and huge radar dishes to learn more about the asteroid's color, shape, spin and reflectivity. Such data could tell them what the object is made of, and perhaps provide insights into how similar objects could be diverted if they were on a threatening course.
       Experts estimate that asteroids the size of 2012 DA14 hit our planet every 1,200 years or so, exploding with the energy of a 2.5-megaton atomic bomb: The last such impact struck a remote region of Siberia without warning in 1908, flattening 820 square miles of forest. If an object that big were to hit in just the wrong place, it could wipe out a city. Coincidentally, a much smaller space rock came down over Russia on Friday, sparking a fireball and a glass-shattering shock wave.
     Even though the 150-foot-wide (45-meter-wide) asteroid 2012 DA14 is the biggest object of its kind to be seen coming this close to Earth, its orbit is so well-known that NASA's Near-Earth Object Program can rule out any chance of collision in the foreseeable future. And even though 2012 flew 5,000 miles closer than satellites in geosynchronous orbit, NASA said its mostly south-to-north orbital path went through a "sweet spot" that kept it far away from those satellites — as well as from other spacecraft that are in closer orbits, including the International Space Station.
    Astronomer hope their observations of 2012 DA14 will provide insights into subtle phenomena such as seismic disturbances that are induced by Earth's gravitational kick, or characteristics of the asteroid's spin that are affected by radiation absorption and emission. Radar readings provide the best way to get a fix on the asteroid's shape and spin, in part because observations from multiple radio telescopes can be combined to produce a clearer picture. During the 2012 DA14 encounter, scientists used radio telescopes in California and New Mexico to produce new sets of radar imagery.

The first pictures from NASA's 230-foot (70-meter) dish at Goldstone, Calif., are due to be released on Saturday, and eventually those radar images will be combined to produce a 3-D map of the space rock.

Other telescopes, spread out from Australia to Israel to the Canary Islands to the U.S., gathered optical data — and the images from some of those telescopes were shared over the Internet on Friday. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been passing along pictures from a variety of telescopes via its Ustream video channel. Here's a rundown of other post-encounter webcasts:

Chodas said the initial observations confirmed scientists' estimates of 2012 DA14's size, but other revelations will have to wait until astronomers have had a chance to analyze the data collected on Friday. By that time, the asteroid will be long gone. Earth's gravitational influence has changed 2012 DA14's orbit to keep it farther away from our planet during future orbits.

References:
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/15/16966984-catch-asteroid-2012-da14s-flyby-on-video-and-watch-it-fade-out-online?lite
http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/15/asteroid-da14-psa/
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Asteroid-makes-closest-pass-to-Earth-30200168.html

      Asteroid DA14 is the bright streak across the screan.